September 22, 2025
The West Dining Room of Pearl River Community College was busting at the seams with eager community members, students and college employees on September 18. Dr. Adam Breerwood, PRCC President, updated attendees on The State of the College and took questions and comments from the community.
Growth and Expansion
Dr. Breerwood began by speaking of the tremendous growth Pearl River has seen in the last several years, both in headcount and credit hours. He attributed the continued success to several factors, including dedicated and passionate employees and careful decision-making.
Breerwood also spoke of newly acquired buildings and acreage in the last year across the Poplarville and Forrest County campuses, as well as the excitement surrounding the recent one-year anniversary of the opening of the Hancock County Campus.
He emphasized the importance of updating, maintaining and reinventing the facilities that already exist at all the campuses as crucial pieces of the overall puzzle alongside the new building projects that have been underway in the last year.
A few of these new projects include four new residence halls expanding the number of students living on campus to 1,250, the new Asbury Allied Health and Nursing building on the Forrest County Campus, and many more ventures still on the horizon.
Education and the Mississippi Workforce
Breerwood stressed the importance placed on educating and training the Mississippi workforce at Pearl River.
“As companies consider relocating or expanding to our areas, they want to know where they are going to be able to train their employees,” said Breerwood. “And we are proud to offer that opportunity at PRCC.”
Beyond the weight put on workforce training at the institution, he highlighted the significance of offering a quality and accessible education to Mississippi students.
While making sure that Pearl River offers an education to all that seek it far and wide, he spoke of the value placed on the instruction of students local to Mississippi and the impact that can have on the communities that have built them up along the way.
Breerwood demonstrated the dedication to local communities and workforce education during his talk through the discussion of expanding workforce opportunities at PRCC both throughout the last year and looking ahead to possibilities for the future.
The Strength of Community
Breerwood spoke of many instances of tragedy within our country and the heroes of those moments that put their life on the line to ensure the safety of another and what grit and resilience that takes.
He then related that resiliency to the communities local to the Pearl River campuses and how in times of upheaval and strife, such as Hurricane Katrina, those entities have come together to support each other, support PRCC students and support the institution as a whole.
He expressed his gratefulness for that embrace and support and noted the hope that Pearl River stands as a pillar of support within the communities that it serves as well.
Upcoming
Representatives from the Poplarville Chamber and Main Street Program spoke about many upcoming dates for engaging events throughout the remainder of the year. Updates on these programs and the exact dates for their events can be found on their social media pages.
The next Lunch and Learn November 13th at Pearl River Community College.
For the latest news on Pearl River Community College, visit PRCC.edu and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter (@PRCC_Wildcats), Instagram (PRCCWILDCATS), Facebook (@PRCCMKTG),and TikTok (@prcc_wildcats).
Article and photography by Alexx Kennedy.
